Selects: How the Escape from Alcatraz Worked

# Stuff You Should Know Episode Summary

This episode dives into one of America's most famous prison escapes—the legendary 1962 breakout from Alcatraz by Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, who vanished without a trace and may have pulled off the impossible. The hosts explore how these career criminals, along with a fourth conspirator named Allen West, meticulously planned their escape over six months, ingeniously repurposing prison materials like raincoats, vacuum motors, and hair clippings into tools, drills, and a functional life raft that still baffles experts today. From creating paper-mâché dummy heads to fool guards, to fabricating electric drills from stolen barber clippers, the guys recount an escape so sophisticated and well-executed that it actually lends credence to the theory that Morris and the Anglins might have genuinely survived their daring leap into the treacherous waters of San Francisco Bay.